Catherine Mesick

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Here is Part 5 of The Gray House Ghost. If you haven't read Part 4 yet, you can find it here.

The Gray House Ghost

By Catherine Mesick

Mike
ran down the hall, and Rachel ran after him.

The
two of them reached the back staircase and hurried up it in the eerie green
air.

Mike
continued to pound up the stairs, and Rachel followed him all the way up to the
attic. Mike threw the door open, and once again, the two of them found a
lantern sitting on the floor of an otherwise empty room.

Mike
stalked into the room. “I know you’re in here!”

Rachel
stepped into the room and glanced around. “Who are you talking to?”

“I’m
talking to the phony caretaker,” Mike said. “Only, this time I know who he is!”

“Mike,
you’re not making any sense,” Rachel said.

Mike’s
eyes darted to the lantern. “That ought to bring him out.”

He
kneeled down by the lantern and put his hands right on the metal top.

“Come
out and manifest yourself! You can use my energy!”

“What
are you doing?” Rachel said in alarm. “You’re going to burn yourself.”

“I
know who it is now!” Mike said. “I remembered that he had a birthmark. And this
is no ordinary lantern—it’s what’s known as a channel object. You can use it to
concentrate energy and feed it into the spirit realm.”

“Mike,
you—” Rachel began and then stopped.

The
air in front of them began to shimmer, and then slowly a man’s form appeared.

It
was the caretaker—but his appearance had changed radically from the first time Rachel
had seen him.

He
still had white hair and a red birthmark that started on his chin and ran down
onto his neck. But now his hair stood out from his head as if it was being
supported by a breeze, and his eyes glowed with a wild, maniacal light. His skin
glowed, too, as if he were lit from within, and he floated several inches off
the ground.

Rachel
look a step back. “But you can’t be a ghost. We saw you only a few hours ago.
And you were a regular person then.”

Mike
took his hands off the lantern and sat back on his heels breathing heavily.
Remarkably, his hands were unburned.

“He
is a ghost, Rachel,” Mike said. “In life his name was Robert Green. There’s no
mistaking that birthmark.”

The
ghost floated up several more feet in the air and hovered by the ceiling.

“Get
out!” the spirit rasped. “Get out of this house now!”

Mike
stood up. “Knock off the theatrics. We know who you are and why you’re here.
We just want our friend back now.”

The
spirit glared at Mike and then slowly floated back down toward the floor. He
remained above it, floating just a few inches off the floor.

“How
can you be a ghost?” Rachel asked. “You could open doors and carry a lantern.
You were solid.”

The
spirit opened his mouth as if he would speak, but Mike jumped in first.

“He
used the channel object,” Mike said. “He used it to gain enough strength to
manifest himself and to give himself the ability to operate in this house.
That’s what the fireball was that knocked us out. It was his drawing energy
into himself so he could enter the party and interact with it.”

“Yes,
that is true—” the ghost began.

“And
that’s also why he’s been luring people here,” Mike said. “He’s been stealing
energy from them. He needs it for his fiendish plan.”

Mike
then raised both of his hands in the air. “Spirit of Robert Green, I command
you to leave this place. I command you to release your prisoners and leave this
house in peace!”

“Now
who’s being dramatic?” A smile quirked at the corners of the ghost’s mouth.

“Yes,
mortal girl, I did,” Robert replied. “But I need them. And they are unharmed.”

“Did
you take my brother?” Rachel asked.

The
ghost eyed her. “It’s possible. I don’t know any of their names.”

“You
don’t know!” Rachel said. “Let my brother go!”

“I
can’t.”

“Why
are you doing this?”

“For
Emily,” Robert replied. “She is trapped here.”

“For
Emily—” Rachel’s voice trailed off suddenly. She turned to Mike. “The
birthmark—that’s why it’s so important. I see what you were getting at now.”

She
looked back up at the ghost.

“That
was you,” Rachel said. “You said ‘Turn around!’ You were trying to get that man
in the blue at the party to turn around—because he wasn’t you.”

“I
try every year,” Robert said. “This time I had so much power. This time I could
make myself solid. I thought I could make her see that she and the whole town
had mistaken me for someone else.”

The
ghost sighed and seemed to grow a little fainter.

“Poor
Emily. She always was a sensitive girl.”

“So
that was your blue coat?” Rachel asked.

“Yes,”
Robert said. “But that wasn’t me in it. If he would only turn around! Even with
the mask Emily would see that the birthmark your friend so helpfully pointed
out wasn’t there.”

“Why
was some other guy wearing your coat?” Rachel said.

A
look like shame spread over the ghost’s face.

“Because
by that point it was one of the few things I had left to give away. I gambled
away my money, I gambled away my horses, and I even gambled away the gold
signet ring my father had given me. And in the end, I even gambled away Emily’s
life.”

The
ghost of Robert Green closed his eyes, and a spasm ran through him.

“I’d
put up the coat in a bet several weeks before,” Robert said. “And I’d lost it.
It really was quite a fine coat. My mother bought it for me in New York, and no
one else had one like it. Emily was really taken with it—she said she loved it
on me. When she had her dress made for the Halloween party, she wanted it to be
blue just like my coat.”

“So
you lost the jacket,” Rachel said. “And this other guy wore it. And when he
went around town in it, people thought he was you.”

“Yes,”
Robert said. “And he was in love with one of the maids at our house. People
thought I was secretly meeting up with her in town.”

“Why
didn’t you just tell people what was going on?” Rachel asked.

“I
couldn’t!” Robert cried. “The shame was too great. I’d lost a fortune—and the
potential dishonor to my family name haunted me day and night.”

“You
could have told Emily,” Rachel said.

“No!”
Robert wailed. “Emily was the last person I could have told. I feared she would
leave me. And, like many a gambler, I believed I could get it all back. I just
needed one lucky streak. Then I would get back my money and my possessions, and
no one need know what I’d done.”

Robert
shook his head sadly.

“And
then, of course, I’d give up gambling. And that night, I had my plan for
redemption all set up. I managed to get credit, put up a hefty IOU, and then
bet it all. I would have won big if the cards had gone in my favor. But I lost,
and I ended up with a crushing debt I had no hope of ever being able to pay.”

“And
that’s why you weren’t at the Halloween party.” Rachel said.

“Yes,”
Robert replied. “I was slumped over by the well in town when Eli and Henry
found me—I was busy feeling sorry for myself. Then they dragged me back to the
house and sat me down in the kitchen. I sat there, just staring at the lantern
on the table. It was that lantern there, actually.”

The
ghost nodded at the lantern on the floor.

“And
I continued to sit there,” Robert said, “just staring while Emily’s life ebbed
away. They carried Emily upstairs to Mary’s room and called for the doctor. But
nobody told me. And then eventually, the sound of crying broke through my
selfish haze. I went out to find out what was going on, and when I heard the
news I ran straight up to Mary’s room—but by then it was too late. They tried
to stop me from seeing her. But Emily lay there in death as beautiful as she
had been in life. And now her spirit is trapped here in this empty house.”

“But
Emily isn’t trapped,” Mike’s voice broke in. “I’ve listened to your story, and
it’s a sad one. But there’s a reason why you can’t influence what happened at
the party. This isn’t an intelligent haunt. Well—except for you. It’s a residual
one. It’s just trapped energy and emotion—it can never change. Emily’s not
here.”

“Emily
is here,” Robert said. “It’s true
that that event never seems to change. But that’s not the only event here.
There’s also the spirit portal, which my own sad travels created, and then
there is the presence in Mary’s room.”

“That’s
just the other end of the spirit portal,” Mike said.

“No!”
Robert said sharply. “The portal does end in that room—but Emily is still
there, too. She’s never been able to leave Mary’s bedroom, and so the room is
still there, just as it was in the moment when poor Emily’s mortal eyes closed
on it for the last time.”

“She’s
not—”

“She
is!” Robert shouted. “Her presence is there. I just don’t know how to reach
her.”

The
ghost crumpled and sat on the floor.

“So
you’ve kidnapped all these people,” Rachel said, “and you’re using their energy
to try to contact Emily.”

“Yes,”
Robert said. “It all collects in this lantern. Using it creates all the wind
and the energy surges—they look like fireballs. It gets rid of the dust, too.
This is probably the cleanest haunted house in the world.”

“But
using their energy didn’t work for you,” Rachel said. “So why not just let them
go?”

“I
can’t,” Robert said.

“And
by ‘can’t’ you mean you won’t?” Mike said.

“I
can’t,” Robert said. “Not yet. I know I failed at the party. But I have to keep
trying to contact her tonight. This night—the night on which she died—is the
one on which her suffering is the greatest.”

“They
are unaware of their surroundings,” Robert said. “It all seems like a dream to
them. And their discomfort is of a short duration. It is nothing compared to
the years of torment that Emily has suffered.”

Mike
turned to Rachel. “I say we free them ourselves.”

“I
won’t let them go,” Robert replied, “and you’ll never find them without my
help.”

“What
do you want from this anyway?” Rachel asked. “Do you want forgiveness?”

The
ghost rose up again and floated close to Rachel.

“No—I
don’t ask for that. I just want Emily to be free. I want to break her spirit out
of its cycle of torment. I did not cheat on her, but I did a great wrong to her
nonetheless. I couldn’t control my gambling, and I let it take over my life. I
just want to let her know that she is loved, that she always was loved and that
she doesn’t have to spend eternity in the darkness. I want her to know that she
can move on.”

“And
you’ve stayed here all this time,” Rachel said quietly. “Just trying to get
that message to her?”

“Yes,”
the ghost said.

“You
aren’t seriously listening to this, are you?” Mike said.

Rachel
turned to look at him. “Maybe we could help.”

“Help?”
Mike snorted.

Rachel
turned back to the ghost. “If Emily is free, will you let everyone go?”

“Of
course,” Robert said. “If Emily leaves, then I will leave, too. And my power
over my—guests—will be broken. They will wake up and can leave as they wish.”

“It’ll
never work,” Mike said. “There’s nothing we can do. We’ll never be able to
contact Emily.”

“I
fear your friend is right,” Robert said. “The two of you know nothing about the
spirit world. There’s no way you can help.”

“I
know plenty about the spirit world,” Mike said.

The
ghost shot a glance over at Mike. “You cannot do what I have failed to do.”

“What
do you need?” Rachel asked. “More power? It occurs to me that you didn’t kidnap
me or Mike. Does that mean that you don’t need any more energy?”

The
ghost shook his head in what looked like weariness, and Rachel noticed that he
had begun to fade a little more. “No. I figured that the energy expenditure
required to trap the two of you was not worth it. I would spend more to trap
you than I would gain once you were added.”

“Well,
that’s good to know,” Rachel said. “What if I volunteered?”

The
ghost shook his head. “At this point one—or even—two—people would not make much
of a difference.”

The
ghost grew dimmer still—as if in despair. “I don’t know what I need exactly—a
power surge, perhaps. But I don’t think even a hundred people would be enough.
I need an extraordinary amount of energy to break through to where Emily is.”

Rachel
glanced down at the lantern. “What happened to bring you here?”

“Your
friend brought me here,” Robert said. “When he touched the channel object
directly. All the energy the object drew from him allowed me to manifest myself
again after I’d expended most of mine trying to contact Emily.”

“What
if I did that, too?” Emily asked. “Would that give you another surge?”

The
ghost blinked and something like fear spread over its face. “No—you can’t do
that. It’s dangerous—even life threatening. You must have noticed how your
friend—”

“Mike,”
Mike interjected.

“You
must have noticed how exhausted Mike looked after he touched the lantern,” the
ghost said. “Touching the channel object directly actually drained him of his
life force—the energy that keeps him alive. My—my guests are not doing that.
The channel object is absorbing their radiant energy—it’s the energy they
already give off and lose every day of their lives. They aren’t losing
anything. The channel just works with their natural processes.”

“So
you draw the line there,” Mike said. “You don’t mind taking people prisoner.
But you won’t actually steal their life force away. Glad to hear it.”

“But
would it work?” Rachel asked. “If you drew directly on my energy would it be
enough for you to contact Emily?”

“You
can’t actually be considering this,” Mike said.

“I
am,” Rachel replied.

“Are
you crazy?” Mike asked.

“No,”
Rachel said. “I’m trying to save my brother.”

She
turned to the ghost, “Would it work?”

Robert
looked grim. “I don’t know. It would certainly drain you of a lot of energy.
There’s a very good chance you wouldn’t survive.”

“You
don’t have to do this,” Mike said.

“He’s
my brother!” Rachel said. “I’m not leaving him behind!”

Rachel’s
shout echoed in the empty house. All three—the living and the dead—were silent.

“It
might not work,” the ghost said quietly. “One person might not be enough. The
energy I need—”

“What
about two?” Mike said quickly.

The
ghost looked at him. “What was that?”

“Would
two people be enough to get you what you want?” Mike asked.

The
ghost bowed his head. “With two people, it might just be enough. But it would
be a terrible risk to you both.”

“Mike,
you don’t need to get involved,” Rachel said.

“Yes,
I do,” Mike replied stubbornly.

“Justin’s
my brother,” Rachel said. “I have to do this—we’re family.”

“And
he’s my best friend,” Mike said. “He’s like family to me, too.”

The
two of them looked at the ghost.

“Do
you want to do this now?” Rachel said.

The
ghost looked sadly at them both. “Are you sure about this?”

“We’re
sure,” Mike said.

“Then
all you have to do is step forward and reach your hands out to the lantern,”
Robert said. “I thank you from the bottom of my soul. And I hope your sacrifice
won’t be in vain.”

Rachel
and Mike glanced at each other and then kneeled down and placed their hands on
the lantern.

As
Rachel’s fingertips touched the warm metal, she felt a tingle run through her,
and then all at once the world went completely silent, as if she had suddenly
lost her hearing. A deep chill ran through her and spread all the way through
her fingers and toes and up into her scalp. Rachel had a feeling then that her
hair was standing on end, and the chill seemed to run all the way through it
and out into the air.

Rachel
turned her head in the terrifying silence, and everywhere she looked, all she
could see was bright, blazing light. She squinted her eyes against the glare,
and she thought she could make out a dark form, human in shape, to her left. In
front of her was a luminous, silver shape, also human in form, that was
floating in the air. The silver shape seemed to be at war with the bright,
golden light all around it. The silver shape fought to grow brighter, and the
glow fought to keep it dim.

Rachel
found that her breathing was becoming ragged, and she tried to draw in a deep
breath, but a heavy weight on her chest made it impossible. She continued to
struggle to breathe.

Then,
as if at a great distance, came a faint cry.

“Emily!”

The
silver shape began to grow brighter and brighter, and Rachel felt the chill in
her body deepening.

“Emily!”
cried the voice again, and it was louder this time. “I am here! Listen to me,
Emily! I know you know my voice. I am your own true love, and whatever else I
have done, I would never forsake you!”

The
voice rose in intensity. “Emily! Hear me!”

Rachel
felt herself sinking, and she began to grow dizzy. She thought she had slipped
to the floor, but she couldn’t be sure, and as she gazed upward, she thought
she saw a wisp of blue, like a silky ribbon, wind its way into the glow.

“Emily!”
cried the voice, and it was even louder than it had been before.

“Robert?”
This was a new voice, and it was shaky and thin—as if it hadn’t been used in a
long time.

“I
love you, Emily, and I never stopped loving you. Not even for a moment.”

“You
never—you never—” The voice wavered. “Then why did you—”

“I
didn’t, Emily, I didn’t,” Robert said quickly. “That wasn’t me.”

“But—”

“It
wasn’t me!” Robert said. “But this is me now. I love you, Emily!”

“Oh,
Robert,” Emily said.

“Emily,
I love you,” Robert said. “I always have loved you, and I always will love
you.”

The
whole world seemed to stop then, and Rachel found that she couldn’t breathe at
all.

She
reached for something to grab onto, but her hands met only empty air.

The
silver light glowed brighter suddenly and then began to dim. The golden light
began to dim, too, and Rachel was left in darkness.

Then
suddenly, the weight lifted from her chest, and Rachel could breathe again. She
took in several gasping breaths and welcomed the feel of the cold, clear air.
The oppressive silence was also lifted, and Rachel was grateful for the return
of her hearing.

But
the darkness remained. Rachel realized she was lying on the floor, and she
pushed herself to a sitting position.

She
could hear creaks and groans and breathing—people were moving in the dark.

“Who’s
there?” Rachel asked.

“Rachel,
is that you?” said a voice.

“Mike?”
Rachel said.

“Yeah.
Just a minute. I think I’ve still got my flashlight.”

There
was a click, and then a beam of light appeared in the darkness. The light moved
across the floor, picking out a dark, broken lantern, and then it landed on
Rachel and travelled up to her face.

“Mike,”
Rachel said in protest.

“Oh,
sorry,” he said. He lowered the flashlight.

“Whoa,
whoa, whoa,” said a man’s voice from out of the darkness. “What’s going on
here?”

Mike
turned his flashlight toward the sound, and the light revealed a cluster of
people either lying on the ground or struggling to sit up. The light also
revealed that the room was much bigger than it had appeared to be at first, and
wherever Mike turned his flashlight, he picked out more people.

“But
this room was empty,” Rachel said.

“Apparently
not,” Mike replied.

“There’s
way more than ten people here,” Rachel said.

“I
guess more people went missing than we realized,” Mike said.

“So,
what? Robert used some kind of ghost magic to hide everybody?”

“Ghost
magic?” Mike smirked a little.

“Then,
what was it?” Rachel asked. “Why didn’t we know they were in here?”

Mike
glanced around. “Maybe there’s another channel object in here. That’s the only
thing I can think of—whatever it is, its power has been broken.”

“So
is it over?” Rachel asked.

“I
think so,” Mike said. “I think we’re all free.”

“Hey,
turn on the lights!” someone cried.

“There’s
no electricity in here, dummy,” came the response.

Mike
continued to pan his flashlight over the crowd, and against one wall, he lit up
a big pile of equipment. Sitting by the equipment, blinking in the light was a
boy with a familiar face.

“Justin!”
Rachel cried.

She
hurried over to him and gave him a hug.

Mike
followed her and kneeled down, setting his flashlight on the ground so that it
pointed up, sending out a shaft of light.

“Rachel,
Mike,” Justin said. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We
came to find you,” Rachel said.

Justin
glanced around at the dark room full of people.

“Have
I been missing for a while?” he asked.

“Not
too long,” Mike said. “But long enough that it was obvious something was
wrong.”

“So,
what happened?” Justin asked.

“We’ll
explain everything soon,” Rachel said. “But first, I think we should get
everyone out of here.”

“Yeah,
that’s a good idea,” Mike said.

While
Rachel helped Justin to his feet, Mike turned and addressed the group.

“Okay,
ladies and gentlemen, something unusual has happened here tonight. This will be
a little hard to explain, but since you’re all paranormal investigators, it
should be a little easier to explain to you than it would be to normal people.
But explanations should probably wait until we’re all out of here.”

Mike
turned to Rachel, who had come up to stand beside him.

“How
do you want to do this?” he asked.

“Let’s
get everyone out in one long line,” Rachel said. “You can lead them at the
front, and I’ll bring up the back and make sure everyone is out.”

She
switched on her flashlight. “Luckily, I found this in the corner.”

“Okay,”
Mike said. “Works for me.”

It
was Rachel’s turn to address the crowd.

“All
right, everyone, let’s get everybody standing, and help anyone who needs help
getting up. Some of you have been in here longer than others. This is Mike.
You’ll be following him out of the house to safety. I suggest you leave your
equipment here. You can come back for it in the daytime.”

People
began to shuffle to their feet, and there was a chorus of groans and much stretching
of bodies. Soon Mike stood at the head of a line, and the people kidnapped by
the spirit of Robert Green began to file down the stairs—some of them being
supported by their friends.

Once
the last person had left the room, Rachel swung her flashlight in an arc around
the room to make sure that they hadn’t missed anybody. As she did so, the light
picked out a small object that glittered.

Rachel
walked over and picked it up, and she saw that she held a little glass music
box—its inner workings plainly visible through its clear sides.

She
turned it over and found a tiny metal plaque next to its winding mechanism. The
plaque read: From Robert to Emily.

Rachel
considered winding the music box up for just a moment. Then she quickly thought
better of it and set the music box back down on the floor.

She
cast one look over the room and then stepped outside and closed the door.

Mike
and Rachel led the group slowly down the stairs and out through the front door.
Once everyone was safely outside, Mike and Rachel warned everyone against going
inside again and then began to ferry everyone back to town in their cars.

By
the time all the prisoners were returned to the safety of civilization, dawn
was just beginning to show its first light.

Rachel
and Mike stood by their cars in front of a hotel. They had just taken the last
group of people inside, and their work was finally done. Mike’s car was empty,
and Rachel’s held only her brother.

“No,
I think he moved on with Emily,” Mike said. “But I wonder about what he told
us.”

“Which
part?” Rachel asked.

“Well,
kind of the whole setup,” Mike said. “With us. Not trapping us and letting us
see the Halloween party. He said he didn’t grab us because it wasn’t worth the
effort at that point. But I’m not sure that’s true. I think he wanted us to see
everything—I think he was hoping if we did, we’d volunteer to help him. Just
like we did.”

“You
think he tricked us?” Rachel asked.

“Maybe.
I don’t know—if he did, it was a heck of a gamble.”

“Well,
he was a gambler,” Rachel said.

“But
not a good one,” Mike said.

“Maybe
this was a last-ditch effort,” Rachel said. “Sort of double-or-nothing. And
even a bad gambler gets lucky sometimes.”

“Yeah,
I suppose that’s true,” Mike said.

He
looked around.

“I
guess we should be getting home.”

Mike
seemed oddly reluctant to move, and he glanced over at Rachel several times.

“So,
see you around?” he said at last.

Rachel
stepped up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

“Why
did you do that?” Mike asked.

“Thanks
for helping me save my brother,” she said.

Mike
looked down and then laughed sheepishly, and his blush was as rosy as the dawn.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Here is Part 4 of The Gray House Ghost. If you haven't read Part 3 yet, you can find it here.

The Gray House Ghost

By Catherine Mesick

Rachel
looked around the room—it wasn’t nearly as bright as it had seemed at first.
But it was definitely no longer dark, and flashlights weren’t necessary. The
room was comfortably lit like it was dawn or dusk, but the light wasn’t coming
from outside. The room was suffused with a soft, green light that seemed to be
coming from the air around them. The world outside the window was still dark,
and when Rachel looked at Mike, his skin looked unnaturally pale, and his eyes
stood out large and dark in the green glow.

But
despite the strangeness of the light, they were still definitely in the same
place.

“How
can this be the spirit portal?” Rachel asked. “We haven’t gone anywhere.”

“Spirit
portals only flow in one direction,” Mike replied. “You can start at the well
in the town square and end up here, but you can’t start here and end up at the
well.”

“So
what happened, then?”

Mike
glanced around in the eerie green air. “Well, my best guess is that we’ve
slipped through into the spirit realm. We’re still in the same place, but we
can see what’s happening on another plane of existence.”

“Is
that common with spirit portals?” Rachel asked.

“No,”
Mike said. “This situation is very unusual. But I think everything in this
house is unusual.”

He
took a deep breath.

“I
think we’ll need to be careful. We’re in a place now where we can see spirits.”

“And
does that mean they can see us?” Rachel asked.

Mike
shut off his flashlight and flashed her a grin.

“They
can always see us,” he said.

They
stepped out into the hall, and they were immediately hit with a bright, blazing
light. The light pulsed and then disappeared. Moments later, a breeze picked up
that quickly turned into a strong wind. The wind caught at their clothes and
pulled at Rachel’s hair so that it swirled around her face.

Soon
a roar sounded from the lower levels of the house, and Rachel turned just in
time to see what looked like a ball of fire flying up the main staircase toward
them.

“What
is that?” Rachel cried.

But
before Mike could reply, the fireball slammed into them, and everything went
black.

“Rachel!
Rachel!” hissed a voice in her ear.

Rachel
opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the floor, and the air
around her had an odd greenish tinge to it.

“Mike?”
she said.

Soon
Mike’s face loomed into view.

“Rachel,
are you okay?” he whispered urgently.

“Yes,
I’m okay.” Rachel sat up. “What happened?”

“I
don’t know for sure,” Mike replied, “but I think we got hit by a mass of pure
energy. Something was vacuuming all the energy in this whole area up into
itself. But it seems to be gone now.”

“How
long were we out?” Rachel asked.

“About
two hours,” Mike said. He cast a nervous look at his watch. “In fact, it’s
almost midnight.”

“What’s
so special about midnight?” Rachel asked.

“That’s
when the spectral Halloween party goes on.”

“But
that’s just shadows and whispers, right?”

“It
is in the regular world,” Mike said. “But we’re in the spirit realm now. I have
no idea what could happen.”

Moments
later, soft music began to play, and Rachel and Mike hurried over to the
balcony at the top of the stairs. Some instinct made both of them crouch down
below the rail.

The
sound of mingled voices soon rose up to them, and as they watched, shadowy
figures began to appear on the floor below as if they were walking out of a
mist. The figures soon seemed to solidify, and Rachel and Mike could see men
and women milling around below them. All the guests wore sumptuous clothes and
masks, and they walked around talking, drinking, and laughing—a party was
clearly in progress.

At
a signal from the conductor, the band in the corner struck up a lively tune.

The
guests moved to the side, and soon the room was clear for dancing.

The
gentlemen approached the ladies with small courtly bows, and then couple after
couple stepped out onto the dance floor.

Before
long, the room was filled with swirling couples, and the soft sound of rustling
silk could be heard whenever there was a lull in the music. Light from oil
lamps and candelabra glittered on the fine jewelry of the women and on the
sequined masks of dancers of both sexes.

One
woman in a particularly fine gray gown that matched her hair, stood apart from
the crowd and looked over the dancers anxiously.

Apparently
not finding what she was looking for, the woman turned away from the crowd and
hurried up the stairs toward Rachel and Mike.

The
two of them froze as the woman reached the top of the stairs and stopped right
next to them.

But
the woman didn’t even glance in their direction. Instead, she clasped her hands
together and took a deep breath as if gathering herself.

The
woman hesitated a moment longer and then approached the bedroom in which Rachel
and Mike had found the spirit portal.

The
woman raised a hand and knocked tentatively at the door.

“Mary,
dear, are you still in there?” the woman asked.

“Yes,
mama,” came the faint reply.

“Are
you well, dear?”

“Yes,
mama, quite well.”

“Mary,
you’re missing the dancing,” the woman said. “And you know this party is as
much for you as it is for your brother.”

“I
know, mama. I’ll just be another few moments.”

The
woman hesitated again. “Speaking of your brother, do you know where he is?”

“I
believe he’s in town,” Mary said. “But he should be along presently.”

Mary’s
mother frowned. “In town? Robert’s been in town a lot lately. Is everything all
right with him?”

“Yes,
mama. I believe he just had some business to attend to.”

“Well,
all right,” the woman said. “I hope he hurries. Emily will be here soon. We’re
lucky that she happens to be late tonight.”

“Yes,
mama,” Mary replied.

The
woman started to speak again but then thought better of it. She turned and
walked back down the stairs, her face a mask of worry.

Shortly
after the woman rejoined the party, soft footsteps ran along the hall from the
other direction, and a girl of about sixteen hurried up to the closed bedroom
door. The girl was wearing a plain dress and an apron, and she tapped lightly
at the door.

“Miss
Mary,” she whispered. “It’s Ada.”

The
door flew open, and a young woman of about eighteen or nineteen with an
elaborate set of blond ringlets and a rose silk gown looked out.

“Did
they find him?” Mary asked urgently.

“Yes,
miss,” Ada replied. “Joseph just returned—he ran all the way back. They found
him in town.”

“Where
is he now?” Mary asked. “Is he here?”

“No,
miss. Mr. Robert is still in town. Eli and Henry are trying to bring him back
now. Joseph said he was in a bad way.”

Mary
pursed her lips. “Was he drunk?”

“No,
miss. But he lost a lot tonight. Joseph said he’s really broken up about
it—he’s not in his right mind at the moment.”

“Where’s
my mother now?” Mary asked. “Can you see her?”

Ada
tiptoed to the balcony and looked down to the party below. Then she hurried
back.

“Mrs.
Green is talking with the minister’s wife.”

“All
right,” Mary said. “Thank you, Ada. Let me know as soon as Robert gets here.
And make sure Eli and Henry bring him in through the back. Don’t let anyone
see him come in.”

Ada
turned to go, and Mary called her back.

“Ada!”

“Yes,
miss?”

“Get
someone to watch out for Emily, too. As soon as she gets here, bring her into
the small parlor and let me know. I’ll tell her Robert’s sick or something.”

“Yes,
miss.”

Ada
ran off the way she had come, and Mary closed her door once again.

Shortly
after Ada disappeared down the hall, the front door opened.

A
girl with a well-dressed set of brown curls and an exquisite blue gown walked
into the room with a small group of people surrounding her.

The
girl removed her equally exquisite blue wrap and turned a pretty smile on the
servant who stepped forward to receive it.

But
the girl’s expression changed as she looked over the crowd. Her wide, dark eyes
scanned all the faces in the crowd apprehensively, and the hand that held her
sequined mask shook.

Another
young woman in a glittering gown stepped forward to give her a warm embrace, but
the girl returned it perfunctorily, her eyes still on the crowd.

With a glance toward her mistress's door, a little maid in white darted toward the girl in blue.

But
Mrs. Green noticed the girl at the same time and moved toward her with a smile.

“Emily!”
she said, holding out her arms in greeting.

The
little maid glanced toward Mrs. Green and froze in her tracks.

Emily
and Mrs. Green embraced, and then Mrs. Green stepped back and placed her hands
on the girl’s shoulders.

“Why,
Emily, you’re shaking. Are you quite well, dear?”

Emily
looked up at Mrs. Green, and tears began to fall from her large, dark eyes.

“Robert’s
not here, is he?” Emily’s voice was tremulous.

Mrs.
Green glanced around quickly. “No, dear. But he was just delayed a little
longer in town. He’ll be here very soon.”

“No,
he won’t be!” Emily said, her voice rising. “Robert’s not going to be here. And
what’s more, he doesn’t love me!”

“Emily,”
Mrs. Green’s voice was soothing.

“It’s
true, mama,” Emily cried. “Oh, how I wanted to call you mama. But now that will
never happen!”

The
other guests turned to stare. Emily’s voice was rising shrilly.

“What
a thing to say, child,” Mrs. Green admonished. “Of course you’re going to call
me mama. You and Robert will be married at Christmas, and then you and Mary
will both be my daughters.”

“Why,
Emily!” Mrs. Green said. “What a terrible thing to say! Whoever could have
given you such an idea?”

Mrs.
Green darted a nervous glance at her guests. Many pairs of eyes were now
staring at them, and some of the couples had even ceased their dancing.

“Everyone
knows!” Emily cried. “Everyone! It’s all over town!”

Mrs.
Green put an arm around Emily. “Come along, dear, we’ll go up and see Mary.
She’ll put this foolishness out of your mind.”

She
began to lead Emily up the stairs.

Emily
giggled hysterically. “And of course I’m the last one to know. Oh, how everyone
must have been laughing at me.”

“Hush,
dear,” Mrs. Green said. “It’s not true.”

“It
is true!” Emily cried. “Everyone knows! I told you.”

Emily
and Mrs. Green were rising steadily toward Rachel and Mike.

“It’s
not true,” Mrs. Green said again. “Talk to Mary—it’s not true. Mary will tell
you.”

“If
it’s not true, then where is he?” Emily demanded. “I’ll tell you where he is!
He’s with her!”

“Nonsense.”

“And
if it is true, do you know what I’ll do? I’ll jump right in the river!”

The
two of them reached the top of the stairs and stood a few feet away from where
Rachel and Mike were kneeling.

“You
must not say such things, Emily. You mustn’t allow yourself to get in one of
your states,” Mrs. Green said.

She
suddenly brightened. “And for no reason at all. Look, there’s Robert over
there. Can’t you see him in his best blue jacket?”

Mrs.
Green pointed to a shadowy corner on the floor below. A dark-haired young man
in a blue jacket and a black mask was leaning close to a young woman also in a
mask.

Suddenly
a strong wind picked up, and it flew past Rachel and Mike and down the stairs.
But though the wind pulled at Rachel and Mike’s hair and clothes, it didn’t
disturb a single candle or costume at the party, and the guests seemed to be
completely unaware of it.

The
wind surged even stronger than before, and it now seemed to swirl around the
young man below.

Along
with the wind came a sound—a deep, booming voice that seemed to fill the entire
house.

“Turn
around!” the voice commanded. “Turn around!”

The
young man in blue leaned close to the woman, and their lips met in a kiss.

The
wind whipped up harder and harder, and Rachel’s hair began to fly around her
face so fiercely that she couldn’t see a thing.

“Turn
around!” the voice cried. “Turn around!”

“That’s
him all right,” said another voice—much more faintly—Rachel thought it sounded
like Emily.